Photo by AP Wideworld The popularity of narcotic painkillers has a downside and cost that some states may not fully recognize. Related Links: Tightening Up the Rules for Hydrocodone, the Favorite PainKiller The Myth of Workers' Compensation Fraud Someone forgot to send Missouri the memo about the latest research on rising costs in workers' compensation.Concerned about fraudulent claims by workers, state Senator Mike Cunningham (R) late last year sponsored a bill that would have given employers access to a free online database of compensation claims. Employers would be able to screen workers for a history of fraud, without first securing
Related Links: Narcotic Painkillers Weigh Heavily on Workers' Compensation Costs Sober, clear-headed workers can mean life or death on a construction jobsite.So last month’s recommendations from the Food and Drug Administration for more restrictions on hydrocodone-containing painkillers is good news for construction employers and workers: the FDA wants to upgrade hydrocodone’s status from a schedule 3 narcotic—the classification for low-dose codeine-containing drugs—to a schedule 2 narcotic, the category for methadone, hydromorphone, and fentanyl.The new status would reduce the number of refills allowed before checking in with a doctor. It would require patients to bring prescriptions to a pharmacy in person
Norwegian oil-and-gas giant Statoil pulled the plug on its Hywind Maine offshore wind project due to commercial uncertainty, but the University of Maine is forging ahead with plans to build a 12-MW offshore wind farm in the Gulf of Maine by 2017.“Statoil will now focus on the Hywind concept in Scotland, a project we have matured in parallel with Hywind Maine during the last three years,” according to a Statoil statement released on Oct. 15.Trine Ulla, head of business development for floating wind at Statoil, says, “Regardless of our exit [from] Maine, we will continue to explore the U.S. offshore
David Kligman for Pacific Gas and Electric Company PG&E's custom Ford Escape hybrids use a new gas-detection tech that allows them to identify gas-pipe leaks while driving on the highway. Related Links: Picarro Survey Device Boston University's Study In early August, a specially equipped sports-utility vehicle detected four potential gas-pipe leaks while motoring along a California highway. The improved detection capacity is due to a recently developed, highly sensitive gas-leak detection technology.The technology, developed by Picarro, Santa Clara, Calif., uses a patented form of cavity-ring down spectroscopy (CRDS) to detect gas leaks even while driving. CRDS measures the near-infrared absorption
Photo Courtesy of MaineDOT The Maine Dept. of Transportation has erected a number of bridges using composite inflatable arches. The technology is gradually catching on in other states and overseas. Related Links: Bridge-in-a-Backpack Tech 'Blows Up' Next-Gen Bridges Dozens Of Test Projects Later, Advocates Still Have Durable Dreams Four years after the first lightweight bridge-in-a-backpack, or BIAB, composite bridge was erected in Pittsfield, Maine, the technology is gaining traction in the U.S. and abroad, despite some learning-curve challenges.So far, BIAB has been deployed for 13 bridges in four states and, completed in May, a 26-ft span for the Trinidad Ministry
Rendering Courtesy of Street-Works Public-private redevelopment will combine hotels, apartments, retail and office space. Related Links: Developers Shift to Mixed-Use, Office Projects in Wake of Housing Dive Best of the Best Projects: Square 54 Quincy, Mass., has broken ground on Merchants Row, the first mixed-use block of the $1.6-billion Quincy Center redevelopment project, one of the Bay State's largest construction projects, eight miles south of Boston.The historic public-private downtown redevelopment project, managed in partnership with the city of Quincy, will include 1.1 million sq ft of new green office space designed by locally based Sheskey Architects. Comprising a 20-sq-block urban
Photo Courtesy of MassDOT Callahan Tunnel, showing wear and tear after 52 years, will close for extensive repairs. Related Links: Forensic Review Calls for More Repairs to Central Artery/Tunnel Callahan Tunnel to close for three months, beginning in January (Boston Globe) Boston's Callahan Tunnel, which connects the city's North End to Logan International Airport and state Route 1A in East Boston, will close for three months for rehabilitation beginning in December, the Massachusetts Dept. Transportation announced last month.The $34.9-million project, out for bid on June 29, includes the rehabilitation of the 52-year-old tunnel's deck, curb line and gutters and replacement
Related Links: Maine To Launch Offshore Floating-Turbine Prototype HNTB, Purdue Lab Push the Speed Limit of Highway Surveys Two East Coast deepwater offshore wind developers have deployed floating lidar systems to provide critical data about wind conditions high above the ocean’s surface that will help with blade and other equipment design.On June 2, the University of Maine, Orono, launched a floating lidar system beside the VolturnUS 1:8 floating offshore wind turbine, which was connected to the grid on June 13 at Castine. It is the first grid-connected floating wind turbine in North America. The lidar system detects wind conditions up
PensionDanmark is investing $200 million in Cape Wind’s planned 468-MW offshore wind farm, which is sited off the coast of Nantucket Sound. The project has drawn sustained opposition during its 12 years of development.The Danish investment, announced on June 16, will help secure project financing, says the owner. “This important investment is a milestone in the Cape Wind project,” says Jim Gordon, Cape Wind president.The goal is to finalize construction of North America’s first offshore wind farm, which is also one of the largest planned, with 130 3.6-megawatt turbines, the statement noted. The investment, in the form of a mezzanine
Related Links: Maine Approves Offshore Projects, But Cost Concerns Persist Maine Surges Forward With Offshore Turbine Plans In early June, the University of Maine will launch a small-scale offshore demonstrator of a floating wind turbine, fabricated in its lab with a lightweight concrete foundation and composite tower. If successfully connected to the grid from off the coast of Castine, Maine, it will be the first of its kind in North America.The approximately 65-ft-tall turbine prototype is built to one-eighth the scale of a 6-MW turbine with a 423-ft-dia rotor. “Each blade [of the full-scale design] is larger than the wingspan of